A New Mexico hospital is warning patients to keep an eye on their credit scores after detecting a breach in its picture archiving and communication system.
Portales-based Roosevelt General Hospital first discovered malware on its imaging server in mid-November. Though its yet to confirm whether any private data was actually accessed, the provider is urging its customers to stay vigilant, as information affected included dates of birth, social security numbers and insurance details. It’s also offering credit monitoring assistance to those affected.
“Although we are continuing our investigation, there is no evidence at this time that any patient data has been wrongfully used,” CEO Kaye Green said in a statement shared to Roosevelt General’s Facebook page Dec. 23. “The malware identified on the radiology server was contained and terminated immediately upon detection,” she added, noting that the breach did not affect its electronic health records or billing systems.
All told, the breach affects more than 500 medical records. Officials said that, as soon as the intrusion was detected, the hospital’s IT department immediately secured and restored all patient information. Roosevelt General also notified Health and Human Services of the incident within the required 60-day timeframe, according to the announcement.
Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.